Trying to Escape the Memories
by PeggsterLover
Summary: When a mission goes slightly awry, Benji finds himself swamped by memories of his abduction and begins to succumb to the terror that they bring. Can his friend's help him? Sequel to 'Close to Home'. One-shot.


_So this one's just a short idea that came to me. It's a sequel to Close to Home. Hope that it's ok and that I have them in character._

_Enjoy!_

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><em>  
>Benji was standing guard in the midst of the abandoned mine shaft while the others searched for the stolen technology Igor Henderson was supposedly storing there. He checked his watch for the thousandth time since they had entered and was slightly annoyed to find that it had been a measly five minutes since he last checked it twenty minutes ago. He sighed and leaned back against the wall, the temptation to pull out his phone and play 'Angry Birds' was becoming all to irresistible, yet he had a job to do; that job was to keep an eye out.<p>

Since he returned to the field after his kidnapping, Benji wasn't allowed to be as 'active' as he'd like to be. He tried to push the others away and tell them to back off but they just wouldn't stop mothering him. He wasn't a claustrophobic person but man, they made him feel squashed. He knew it was because they cared about him, but he wished they would understand that in order to move on from the ordeal, he needed to get back to normality and that meant returning to his regular daily regime. With another sigh, he glanced to the exit and was not exactly shocked to see no one there. Flopping his head back, he smacked the back of his skull onto the wall a few times out of pure boredom, however even that become irritating when dust drifted from above and sprinkled itself on his hair and favourite jacket. Giving his head a quick shake, he rubbed his hands over his hair to remove the unwanted substance but as he did, he heard a voice through his earpiece.

"Guys! Henderson is here, he's on his way out!" that was Jane's voice.

"I got him!" Brandt's came next and Benji suddenly heard footsteps getting closer. "Benji, he's coming your way!"

"I'm on it." He reached around the back of his pants and grabbed his gun, preparing himself for the moment Henderson would appear around the corner. The only thing he could hear other than the continuously growing footsteps was his own heavy breathing.

"He's almost on you, Benji!" he grabbed his gun tighter and waited. Suddenly, Henderson rounded the corner, barging into Benji with such force that the pair were knocked to the ground and slid back a few meters.

Benji rushed to his feet, readying his gun again, however Henderson was quicker and delivered a strong right hook to Benji's cheek, causing him to stumble backwards and with a kick to the stomach, he was sent flying through the air into a small room. Recovering from the blow, he scrambled to his feet again, yet as he looked up, he saw Henderson closing the heavy door. He sped towards it but he was too late; the only thing he achieved from his sprint was to bounce off the door and land on his backside again. He heard a click as the wheel turned and locked the door, sealing him in.

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><em>  
>Brandt turned the corner and was surprised to see Benji was not there. His first instinct was to panic, but he shook his head and reminded himself that he needed to stop Henderson now; if he got away at that moment, they'd lose him forever. Continuing his sprint, he made his way up the stairs and into the brisk night air. He reached the top and looked around, unable to see Henderson anywhere. That was, until something hard hit the back of his head and sent him tumbling forwards. Fortunately, he managed to regain his footing before he hit the ground and spun to face Henderson who swung his fist at the agent. Brandt was prepared this time and managed to duck out of the way, swinging his leg out and knocking Henderson's legs from underneath him.<p>

As the man fell to the ground, Brandt launched himself on top of him, giving his jaw a swift punch, followed by and elbow to the chest. His attack was countered by a fist to the face, causing him to feel the crunch of his nose underneath the force. With the temporary distraction, Henderson proceeded to flip them, sending Brandt's gun skidding across the mud. He attempted to wrap his hands around Brandt's throat, but Brandt managed to pull his knees up and plant them firmly in the centre of Henderson's chest, and with a forceful shove, he sent the man flying backwards. Henderson landed hard on his back, feeling the wind forced out of him. As he wheezed, Brandt rushed over to him and with a harsh kick to the face, sent him tumbling into oblivion. He quickly grabbed some nearby wire and wrapped the thick metal around Henderson's wrists and ankles before pushing him into a nearby bush.

"Brandt?" Ethan's voice sounded in his ears. "What's going on?"

Wiping away the blood from his nose, Brandt sighed. "I've got Henderson unconscious and secured."

"Great job. Have you see Benji?"

"No. I thought he'd be with you." Brandt's stomach turned slightly at the lack of knowledge regarding Benji's whereabouts. "I'm on my way down."

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>Benji sat on the damp floor of the small room, huddled in the corner with his knees brought up to his chest. He was beginning to feel the effects of the punch he received earlier and his vision would blur every now and again. He had tried asking for help but clearly his microphone and earpiece had cut out due to his location. He really wished technology would quit giving out on them right when they needed it most. Resting his head on his arms, which were crossed over his knees, he tried to control his breathing. This really sucked.<p>

"_Agent Dunn…"_ he heard a voice. He immediately recognised it and felt his stomach virtually jump into his throat.

"No…" he whispered, shaking his head slightly. "You're dead."

_"Oh, you would wish I was, wouldn't you?" _the voice sounded again. _"It's hurtful, really, after all the fun we had." _Benji finally found the courage to look up and saw, standing in front of him, alive and well, Michael Watson. He instinctively tried to push himself further into the wall, much like he had done months earlier, as Michael converged on him, blade in hand. As he got closer, Benji slid to the side and clambered to his feet, backing up away from him. When he turned, Michael was gone. However the relief only lasted a second, as he felt the hot breath on the back of his neck and spun to see him standing behind. Tripping over a stray piece of rock, he landed on the hard ground, scooting himself backwards before getting to his feet again and throwing himself at the door. He began to bang on the hard metal with all his might.

"HELP!" he screamed so loud that his throat instantly began to hurt. "SOMEONE HELP ME! GET ME OUT OF HERE, FOR GODS SAKE!" every word grinded against the walls of his throat like sandpaper and he began to cough. "PLEASE GET ME OUT!" he felt tears welling up in his eyes as he turned back to see Michael approaching him again, knife ready to slice his throat.

_"You can't escape, Agent Dunn. Not this time." _

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>Brandt returned downstairs and found Ethan and Jane waiting for him.<p>

"Still no sign?" he asked, looking between the two. They both shook their heads.

"He couldn't have gone far though. I mean he was there when Henderson made a break for it." Jane stated, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah, but by the time I got to his position he was gone." Brandt began to walk back towards when Benji had been positioned. As he got closer he could hear something. "Wait a second." He held up his fist in a motion for the others to freeze. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ethan asked.

"Like a sort of… drumming." Brandt glanced around and continued to listen. There was something else mixed in with the drumming, but he couldn't figure out what.

"Hang on, I hear it too…" Jane stepped forward. Suddenly Brandt had a thought.

"Benji…" he began to run, following the noise as it got closer. "Ethan, Jane, go back up and see to Henderson." As he inched nearer to the drumming, he realised that the other sound was a voice. A familiar voice. When he finally reached the spot where Benji had been, he saw the door and ran for it.

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><em>  
>Benji continued to bang on the door, but when Michael got too close, he flung himself out of the way and ended up on the floor against the other wall. He didn't know what to do so, out of pure fear, he began to hug his knees again, bundling his head in his arms hoping that Michael would go away.<p>

_"Benji!" _he heard a voice again, yet this time it was different. The familiarity was not one born out of terror. He heard the click of the lock and the door swung open. As it did, he looked up and saw Brandt enter.

"Benji, oh God, are you alright?" Brandt noticed the glowing bruise on Benji's right cheek, but that wasn't what got to him the most. The worst part was his friend's eyes.

The blue orbs were wide open and dark with fear, glazed over by the experiences that Brandt knew would have rushed back and swamped him the second he wound up in that room. Crouching down next to Benji, he noticed how fast and shallow the man's breathing was. Brandt proceeded to slide down the wall alongside him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"Benji…" he tried to pull his friend out of his trance, coaxing him to turn his gaze to him. When he did so, Brandt saw the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Seeing his friend like this made Brandt want to go back up and shoot Henderson in the face. What Benji went through at the hands of that psychopath was bad enough; he didn't need situations like this bringing up those horror-filled memories. "Benji, it's ok now. You're safe. I've got you." Brandt saw his words register in Benji's head through his friend's expression and the next thing he knew, the younger man was burying his face in Brandt's jacket. He rubbed his hand up and down Benji's back to help soothe his sobs, having to fight back tears of his own. "Shhh… You're safe, Benji. I'm here. He's not gonna hurt you anymore."

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><em>  
><em>Well, I hope that was ok. I know sequels can be a bit risky, but I bit the bullet and I hope it turned out well enough.<br>Much love x_


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